When the South Course at Torrey Pines was redesigned 15 years ago, it was to attract the U.S. Open and accommodate the PGA Tour professionals who play there one week each year.

When it came time to redesigning the North Course at Torrey this year, it was done with everyone else in mind.

“This is a course they’re very passionate about,” said San Diego City Golf Manager Mark Marney, speaking of the Torrey regulars. “For a lot of folks, this is the main course that they play. They play the South some, but the North is their spot.

“There was a lot of concern making sure that the golf course was going to still be appropriate and playable for them.”

Tom Weiskopf was well aware of this when he accepted the task of redesigning the 60-year-old North Course. Weiskopf was mindful that the majority of the 80,000 rounds a year played on the North are by the masses. In fact, he noted that of the 25 million golfers in the nation, only eight percent break 90 and only half of one percent break 80.

“There was never a thought in my mind to compete against the South Course, in difficulty or challenge or anything like it,” said Weiskopf, a 16-time winner on the PGA Tour who now has three decades of design experience. “We needed something that was a better, more modernistic golf course built with the highest specifications.”

On Monday morning, Weiskopf was on hand at Torrey Pines to talk about — and tour — the now-completed North.

The $12.6 million project came in on time and on budget, despite a one-month delay in construction while obtaining a Coastal Commission permit.

John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune

John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune

The project included several infrastructure elements, including new irrigation and pumping systems, that have been needed for years.

Most visible, of course, are the changes to the course itself. All the tee boxes and greens were replaced. The greens were enlarged by 20-30 percent. Bunkers were reduced from 60 to 42 and many of them relocated or reconfigured. Cart paths were replaced. And, the nines have been flipped.

A fifth set of tees was added for the par-72 course, which measures 5,197 yards from the shortest markers to 7,258 yards for the pros. The middle tees measure 6,346 yards.

Torrey Pines has held a special place in Weiskopf’s heart for nearly 50 years. His first tour win was the Andy Williams-San Diego Open at Torrey in 1968, the first year the event was held there.

Weiskopf, 74, and his wife Laurie moved to Del Mar during the 5 1/2 months of the redesign so that he could stay on top of the project.

He observed golfers on the course during the month before construction began to gain insight that improved initial ideas. He listened to concerns of golf members at meetings. And he shared with them his ideas.

One of the major changes was swapping the front nine, featuring the course’s most scenic ocean-side holes, with the back nine. The idea received unanimous support by the time Weiskopf had explained his reasoning.

Tom Weiskopf was well aware of this when he accepted the task of redesigning the 60-year-old North Course. Weiskopf was mindful that the majority of the 80,000 rounds a year played on the North are by the masses. In fact, he noted that of the 25 million golfers in the nation, only eight percent break 90 and only half of one percent break 80.

“There was never a thought in my mind to compete against the South Course, in difficulty or challenge or anything like it,” said Weiskopf, a 16-time winner on the PGA Tour who now has three decades of design experience. “We needed something that was a better, more modernistic golf course built with the highest specifications.”

On Monday morning, Weiskopf was on hand at Torrey Pines to talk about — and tour — the now-completed North.

The $12.6 million project came in on time and on budget, despite a one-month delay in construction while obtaining a Coastal Commission permit.

As part of the Torrey Pines North redesign, the third hole is now the 12th, and the tee shot goes across more of the ravine.

As part of the Torrey Pines North redesign, the third hole is now the 12th, and the tee shot goes across more of the ravine. (John Gibbins/San Diego Union-Tribune)

“I just think this is your brand,” he said. “The ocean, that beach, these ravines, the distant view that we catch down to La Jolla. San Diego, the pier and the surf breaking.

“So the more that you can experience it, and of the two nines, you have seven holes that you’re really on the ravines and you have great views and vistas of the ocean. Why not make that the second nine where you take all your pictures and say, ‘Boy, isn’t this something?’ And it is.”

Making the course more playable for average golfers comes with a question for the professional players: Is a course-record 60 out there now? A 59?

Each player in the Farmers Insurance Open plays one round on the North Course during the event’s first two rounds.

Asked how he expects the North to be received when the pros come in a couple of months, Weiskopf said: “You never can make everybody happy. My critics will probably be my contemporaries that are in the design business, if they’re critical at all.”

As far as the players are concerned, Weiskopf said, “I think they’re going to like it. They should like it. It’s going to be a little more challenging the first couple of years until they figure it out. But they figure it out real quick.

“Every day on the PGA Tour somebody shoots a great score. That’s inevitable. But that wasn’t its purpose to make it the equal of the South. It’s for those who come and play, and we want them to come back and play.

“Only time will tell.”

The North had a soft opening two weeks ago and Marney said “the feedback has been very positive. They really like what Tom has done. He’s been very conscientious about trying to address their concerns, make it playable, keep it as close to the experience they had in the past, but just better.”

Notable changes on the North

Here are some of the most noticeable changes on the $12.6 million redesign by Tom Weiskopf of the North Course:

The front nine and back nine have been reversed so that the most scenic holes are at the second half of the round.

All tee boxes were replaced and a fifth set of tees were introduced to accommodate more skill levels.

Bunkers were reduced from 60 to 42 (21 on each nine) and repositioned in more strategic locations.

Greens were enlarged by 20-30 percent, from an average of 4,500 square feet to 6,000 square feet, and bent grass has replaced poa annua.

The seventh hole (old No. 16) has been shortened to 322 (274 from the middle tees), making it a “potentially” driveable hole under the right circumstances. Weiskopf said it’s an idea he borrowed after playing in the British Open at St. Andrews.

The cart path has been removed from the 15th hole (old No. 6), the course’s par-3 signature hole, eliminating those unfortunate cart-path bounces while improving the aesthetics of the hole.

The 16th hole (old No. 7), which features a steep uphill climb, had been difficult for players to reach in two shots, so Weiskopf lowered the green by nearly a dozen feet to make it more inviting.

Most of the extra length on the course came at the 17th hole (old No. 8), which includes another 150 yards, turning a 370-yard par-4 into a 520-yard par-5.

The 18th hole (old No. 9) is now a long par-4, measuring 486 yards, that includes the longest complex green on the course and is guarded by three strategically-placed bunkers.

John Gibbins/San Diego Union-Tribune

The old eighth hole at Torrey Pines North is now No. 17, a long par 5.

The old eighth hole at Torrey Pines North is now No. 17, a long par 5. (John Gibbins/San Diego Union-Tribune)